imilar remark, would have been certain to bring
down Peter, and place him just where his wife wished him to be, it
failed to bring down Peter's niece.

Mrs. Rutherford saw this. And concluded as follows: "However, it doesn't
make much difference; with the kind of beauty Garda Thorne has, no one
would look at _you_, you might be any age; she has the sort of face that
simply extinguishes every one else."

"Having no radiance of my own to look after, I can see her all the
better, then," replied Margaret. "She'll be the lighted Bank, and I the
policeman with the dark lantern."

Mrs. Rutherford did not like this answer, she thought it flippant. It
was true, however, that Margaret was very seldom flippant.

"It does seem to me so _weak_ to keep an extorted promise," she began
another day. "I suppose you won't deny that it was extorted?"

"It was very much wished for."

"And you gave it unwillingly."

"Not unwillingly, Aunt Katrina."

"Reluctantly, then."

"Yes, I was reluctant."

"You were reluctant," repeated Mrs. Rutherford, with triumph. "Of course
I knew you must be. But whatever possessed you to do it,
Margaret--induced you to consent, extortion or no extortion--that passes
me!"

Margaret gave no explanation. So the aunt attempted one. "It _almost_
seems as though you were influenced by something _I_ am ignorant of,"
she went on, making a little gesture of withdrawal with her hand, as if
she found herself on the threshold of mysterious regions of double
motive into which she should prefer not to penetrate.

This was a random ball. But Margaret's fair face showed a sudden color,
though the aunt's eyes did not detect it. "She is alone, and very young,
Aunt Katrina; I have promised, and I must keep my promise. But I shall
do my best to prevent it from disturbing you, with me you will always be
first; this is all I can say, and I do not think there is any use in
talking about it more." She had risen as she said these words, and now
she left the room.

In addition to her niece's obstinacy, this lady had now to bear the
discovery that her nephew Evert did not share her views respecting Garda
Thorne--views which seemed to her the only proper and natural ones; he
not only thought that Mrs. Harold should keep her promise, but he even
went further than she did in his ideas as to what that promise included.
"She ought to keep Garda with her, and not put her off at Madame
Martel's," he said.

"I see that _I_ am to